Gardening tips, holidays and Father’s Day: How to get PR coverage in May

Want to get featured in the media? The ResponseSource Journalist Enquiry Service is used every day by journalists who are looking for expert comment, case studies and information for articles.

Check out what topics staff reporters and freelancers have been covering throughout April, plus what areas we expect to remain popular in May and beyond.

Gardening tips still in demand

Since the onset of Spring, ‘gardening’ has been a trending topic for media professionals using the Journalist Enquiry Service to connect with PRs. April was no different, with over 4.5% of all requests being for ‘gardening’ content.

Journalists were looking for everything from the best roses for a small garden, to home and garden products for the summer, and experts to share advice on what common pests should be expected in the garden this year.

Going forward? With events like the Chelsea Flower Show taking place later in May, gardening will remain a popular topic for journalists. The Home & Garden category saw a 2% rise in use from March to April, and the requests will likely increase again in May. Outlets such as Ideal Home, The Sun, This Morning, The Guardian and Grand Designs magazine all sent gardening-related requests to PRs through the Journalist Enquiry Service in April. This offers great opportunities for experts and products to get featured in national newspapers, magazines, and on television.

Father’s Day interest increasing

Holidays or celebrations are always popular journalist request topics and ‘Father’s Day’ is no different; 3% of the total enquiries in April were for this key phrase. Journalists are keen to get coverage earlier this year with a 16% increase in the number of requests compared to April 2023 – so submit your related contributions early.

The Men’s Interest category has seen a boost as well, with 14% more enquiries in April than in March. The increase from last year has also been significant, with 16% more requests than in April 2023.

Going forward? May is typically the month when we see the most Father’s Day related requests. These tend to focus on gifts to give Dad for the special day. If you are a PR with products to review and want them featured in media outlets such as Bella, Dadsnet, Living360 and Heart London, then there will be plenty of opportunities throughout the month, ahead of Father’s Day on June 16.

Holidays on the horizon

With bank holidays this month, ‘holiday’ is a hot topic on the Journalist Enquiry Service right now. It appeared in just over 2% of the total requests for April and also meant a modest 3% rise in the Travel category as well.

Journalists in April were looking for London events happening over the bank holiday weekend, family-friendly holidays and days out, and holiday and summer essentials. These requests came from The Daily Telegraph, The Sunday Times, The Week, Yahoo! Life and The i paper.

Going forward? ‘Holiday’ as a keyword appeared in over 3% of the enquiries in May 2023 and we expect that to be a similar level this year. Journalists tend to look for information on destinations but case studies, travel experts, and holiday related products are all requested regularly as well. This gives lots of scope to get your clients featured in the first of two busy months for journalists writing about travel.

Other opportunities for PRs in May and beyond

We have seen a rise in outdoor activity related requests on the Journalist Enquiry Service over the last couple of months. Therefore, look out for ‘walking’ related opportunities as May is National Walking Month. This could also see a boost for the Leisure & Hobbies category. ‘Mental health’ is likely to be popular with journalists in May because of Mental Health Awareness Week. Last year, over 2% of requests in May were around mental health – experts around this topic are likely to be in high demand again this year.

The festival season is ahead of us with both Download (14-16 June) and Glastonbury (26-30 June) taking place in June. We expect journalists to request information on what items to take along while camping, and possibly music experts, too, throughout May. Euro 2024 will also kick off in June which should mean plenty of requests for PRs from sports journalists – they’ll likely start sending requests on the best places to watch, giving a chance to get pubs and venues featured in the media.

To connect with the media on these topics, and much more, check out the Journalist Enquiry Service, and the Vuelio Media Database.

Find out more how Vuelio can help you gain and track your coverage in the media here.